“Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.”
Margaret Mead
“The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark.”
Thomas Paine
joy of reading
True Magic In Writing!
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There is magic in stories. Magic is the transmutation of objects or the manipulation of the world in ways that move outside the realm of science. Whether or not magic is real in the sense of the here and now world is not the point; magic is a metaphor for fiction. Stephen King says, “books are a uniquely portable magic” (104). This magic is in the words, in their transmitting from the writer to the reader other worlds and ideas. In writing fiction, writers create a world that was not there; even so-called realistic, literary writers create an alternate world that readers inhabit when they read the book. The writers and the readers, in a mystical incantation, create another reality, one that can be so strong sometimes that readers can be moved to tears or laughter or sadness or joy or grief or sorrow or despair or hope. Readers come to care about the characters and feel empathy as if they were real.
That truly is a kind of magic.
Neil Gaiman, in his introduction to Ray Bradbury’s 60th Anniversary Edition Fahrenheit 451, speaks to the power of the written word and stories: “Ideas—written ideas—are special. They are the way we our stories and our thoughts from one generation to the next. If we lose them, we lose our shared history. We lose much of what makes us human. And fiction gives us empathy: it puts us inside the minds of other people, gives us the gift of seeing the world through their eyes. Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over” (xvi). It is through the creation of artificial worlds, no matter how speculative or fantastic, that we experience our world in more intensity and with deeper clarity. This act of magic is what we share as writers and readers. I am honored to be a mere apprentice in the magic of writing novels.
Works Cited
Gaiman, Neil. “Introduction.” Ray Bradbury. 60th Anniversary Edition Fahrenheit 451. New
York: Simon & Schuster, 2013.
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York: Scribner, 2000.
Unofficial World Book Lovers Week!
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Since books are so much a part of my life–I read them, teach them, and write them, that I have decided, without any authority, of course, I am declaring the entire week of 11/15/2019 — 11/21/2019 to be the unofficial holiday of World Book Lovers Week!
Let us embrace the week as a period of declaring to the world that we love books! And why shouldn’t we declare holidays on our own? Let us show the world how important books–all books, of any kind–are!
If you are with me on this idea, please spread the word!
I love books!
Gallows Hill can be found here in ebook.
Gallows Hill in paperback can be found here.
An interview about Gallows Hill can be found here.
Please follow the following links to find my novel:
Thank you!
The book trailer:
Maledicus:Investigative Paranormal Society Book I
My radio interview:
More Reviews of Maledicus: The Investigative Paranormal Society Book 1 by Charles F. French
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Gallows Hill can be found here in ebook.
Gallows Hill in paperback can be found here.
An interview about Gallows Hill can be found here.
Please follow the following links to find my novel:
Thank you!
The book trailer:
Maledicus:Investigative Paranormal Society Book I
My radio interview:
A Halloween Book Event!
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On Wednesday, October 30th, on the eve of Halloween, two authors from the Lehigh Valley, PA will read from their paranormal books!
Charles F. French will read from Maledicus: The Investigative Paranormal Society Book 1, and D. Wolfgang Miller will read from his book True Ghost Stories: Tales Of The Natural, Supernatural, And Just Plain Weird.
The event will be held at Saxby’s Coffee, just across from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. If you are in the area, come, listen, have a coffee or tea, and be frightened!
Blog Tour for Silent Payback by Jaye Marie: A Review
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A city on edge – a detective on shaky ground…
A serial killer roams the streets of Brighton, hunting for his next victim.
When the case lands on detective David Mallory’s desk, will his personal demon prevent him from bringing this vicious monster to justice?
As the body count rises, Mallory finds himself sinking under the weight of his heavy secret – one that could jeopardise his job and his reputation.
With the pressure building, can the troubled detective reconcile his issues and solve the case, before more women die?
http://mybook.to/SilentPBack
Extract:
Maggie had known what was wrong with David the minute she opened the door and seen his pale, puffy face. He looked exhausted and fragile. When they had first discovered what was wrong with him all those years ago, it had been a difficult time for them both. It was such a terrible position for anyone to find themselves in and not an easy decision to make. Although Maggie had done her best to advise him, and the doctors had been kind, David had refused almost all treatment, only agreeing to non-invasive therapy to control his hormones and have a near-normal life. Judging from the state of him it was time to seek treatment.She knew the thought of it terrified him, and the timing was terrible, what with the new job and all. It was also the wrong time for him to leave her. He would need all the help he could get in the coming months, and she was all he had. She didn’t want to nag him, so she said it once and left it at that.Although she cared for him deeply, it would be far too painful to pretend that nothing was wrong between them.
Maggie had always looked forward to going to work every day, but today she wished she was going somewhere else. Despite what most people imagine, the Hospice was a peaceful, caring place, the inhabitants optimistic and cheerful. This was what had drawn her to the job in the first place, that and how the people approaching the end of their lives could be so calm and accepting.
People died in the Hospice almost every day, but it was never a sad occasion. More like seeing someone off on holiday. Maggie always wanted to ask a patient what it felt like and to explain how they came to accept what was happening to them, but it was against the rules. You never used the word ‘dying’ either, keeping the conversation casual. Even when asked outright, Maggie always remained quietly optimistic and never voiced an opinion of her own. Her job was to help them find their quiet spot and keep them there.
Some of the patients had already lost hope by the time they arrived at the hospice, refusing to wait, insisting the doctors help them to shuffle off this world. They dreaded spending whatever time they had left stuck in what they wrongly imagined was a painful holding pen with nothing else to do but sit in a corner and wait.
The Review:
In Silent Payback, Jaye Marie writes a taut and engaging thriller in which she balances and interweaves the internal personal struggle of detective David Mallory with his intense search for a serial killer who is targeting victims in Brighton.
The reader is taken on a roller-coaster ride, as Jaye Marie creates both suspense about the detective’s investigation of the terrible killer and involvement and fear for the detective who is facing a difficult personal struggle.
The novel is atmospheric, suspenseful, and a wonderful ride! I read the book in one sitting, and I am proud to be part of this blog tour! I will not reveal anything that could be a spoiler and would dampen your enjoyment of this fine novel.
If you like books that incorporate both internal and external struggles and which engage the reader in the difficulties of the characters, if you enjoy books that hold your attention from the beginning to the end, and if you search for novels that are compelling and deeply readable, then Silent Payback should be on your to-be-read list!
I recommend this novel highly, and I give it 5 stars out of 5!
Again, you should read Silent Payback!
About Jaye Marie:
Jaye Marie is affectionately known as the giant redwood, probably because she is very tall, but also because of her love for trees. Most afternoons she can be found repotting or taking care of her bonsai collection, but her love of detective mysteries soon brings her back indoors. She has written three fiction novels in this genre, Nine Lives, Out of Time and Crossfire and is looking forward to publishing Silent Payback, her fourth book.
She spends any free time learning everything she can about self-publishing, and despite all the obstacles, she never gives up on anything and is as stubborn as a mule. You can email her at jayemarie01@btinternet.com She also shares a website http://jenanita01.com with Anita Dawes…
Jaye’s Links ~ Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page | Pinterest | Instagram | Medium
Follow the rest of the tour!
Quotations on Writing
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“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.”
Stephen King
“You must write every single day of your life… You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads… may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.”
Ray Bradbury
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“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
Toni Morrison
